Why was breaking bad addictive?

or rather how can you make a story as engaging as Breaking Bad was for many people.

Many people say that watching the series was so engaging it felt like having an addiction to drugs to the point it was nearly impossible for many to miss an episode. I think part of the "addiction" was in part thanks to the great pacing the series had as well as the engaging characters but I feel like I might be missing something up.

what do you think it's necessary to have an audience so engaged your story becomes "an addiction"?.

edited 20th Jun '14 11:28:25 PM by fallenlegend

I had a similar experience watching Monster and reading Homestuck and Digger—not to mention my tendency to finish most long novels in less than three sittings—and I can safely say that there is no one thing. Pacing is crucial, of course, but character and a sufficiently engaging plot, intellectually and/or emotionally, is equally important, as is a grasp of tone and atmosphere. It's really a gestalt effect. There are things that I love which are not "gripping," like dark ambient music, and things that grab me for the wrong reasons, but those are a little different.

I think a part of the series that doesn't get enough attention is its status as an underdog story. You've got these two guys with a goal, but in trying to achieve it they're constantly in over their heads, and any progress they make ends up creating more problems for them, which they're only able to survive by the skin of their teeth.

Indeed it's basically a mixture of elements and now that you mention it indeed the underdog element was crucial.

Basically:

• A small cast of developed characters, meaning what happens to them actually matters. Contrast this to shows with Loads And Loads Of Characters where most of the deaths are meaningless Red Shirts.
• Extensive use of mise-en-scene, meaning most of the details either contributed to the atmosphere or contained hints about the plot.
• Characters who actually looked and behaved like real people, which is still pretty rare in the media.
• A willingness to push boundaries and go Darker and Edgier than most shows, but without veering into gratuitous violence or gorn.
• A unique setting and premise. There are tons of crime shows, and most of them are alike (forensics team solves murders in large city where tons of other shows are already set), so there aren't many reasons to favor any one over the other. But BB had a monopoly on the "science teacher turned meth dealer in Albuquerque" market. Same goes for The Wire, to an extent.
• It was realistic enough to be believable, but not so much that it failed to be entertaining.

edited 22nd Jun '14 4:00:11 PM by Wheezy

In other words: Investment, suspense, verisimilitude, and a tight but not claustrophobic focus.

Good breakdown.

...I feel kinda dumb now.